Russians fall in love with Malaga

RUSSIAN tourism is on the rise in Malaga City and the number of visitors so far this year has risen 8.7 per cent.

According to the National Institute of Statistics, in the first five months of this year, 2,979 Russian tourists stayed in hotels in Malaga City, staying an average of 2.14 days.

The same is not true for the rest of Spain, as the number of Russian visitors has reportedly fallen by 29 per cent compared to the same period last year.

This year, Malaga will continue to carry out programmes to increase the number of Russian tourists visiting the city, which was formerly only known as a destination to learn languages during the summer, but is now a favourite with the Russians throughout the year.

Since May, Spanish low-cost tour operator Vueling is operating direct flights between Malaga and Saint Petersburg twice a week, and there was already a direct flight operated by the company to and from Moscow.

Russian tourists come for culture, leisure activities, the beaches, the food and shopping, according to the Spanish tourism department, Turespaña, and are amongst the foreign tourists who spend most and stay longest. The average Russian visitor is aged between 25 and 45 and comes from one of the country’s largest cities. Their holidays are mainly package deals bought through tour operators.